Reading minds seems like something out of a sci-fi or superhero movie. However at a lab in University of California this past fall, scientists devised a way to read words directly from a person’s brain.

Scientists used electrodes, a type of brain implant, to detect neural signals that are associated with words and thoughts. The electrodes specifically looked for nerve signals in the posterior parietal cortex, the part of the brain that deals with speech and movement. Using the implants, the scientists were able to translate these signals into text. Then, the text was made audible using a computer program. Hence, scientists were able to take thoughts and turn them into speech.

The main application for this procedure would be giving speech impaired patients a way to communicate. Scientists and physicians could restore some form of speech for people with paralysis, ALS, aphasia and other speech impairing and neurological diseases. Current devices that provide similar results rely on movement on the patient’s behalf, for example eye movement. However for some patients, these tasks aren’t possible. This new study allows a patient to simply think to communicate their internal speech.

Within this study, a separate experiment was conducted with specific patients where instead of thinking of words, they would think of individual letters to spell out a sentence. The spelling sessions proved to be equally successful, providing another way in which speech can be provided to those who have lost access to it.

These approaches show promise for patient communication, although to become more useful, scientists will need to find ways to speed up the process. The spelling process produced seven words per minute. Compared to normal speech, which averaged 150 words per minute, this technology still has a lot of ways it can improve. Clinical trials will be crucial to advancing this form of communication. However as for now, we can relish in the fact that we can return basic human expression to those who have lost it.